Bom Ano Novo para 2012 de Fonte de Baixo

Happy New Year for 2012 from Fonte de Baixo
January is our proper winter month here in central Portugal but the weather has been really fantastic so far with bright sunny days and cold frosty nights. With the distracting festivities of Winter Solstice, Christmas, Chanukah and the New Year out of the way and before the battle against gloom and despondency brought about by the long days of rain that accompanies February.

We are patiently waiting for the waning moon period to start on the 6th of January as this signals the start of ground preparation ready for the coming growing season. We work the soil during this lunar phase to ensure the cosmic energy is drawn down into the soil to maximise the fertility and nutrient levels.

In the garden we still have a bountiful supply of vegetables including jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, turnips and beetroot as well as cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts and a variety of chard to choose from. Whilst salads are their lowest we still have lettuce, wild sorrel and radicchio to accompany the sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, pickled green beans and aubergines in oil that we laid down during the summer months.